---
title: "DLA’s Columbus test center cuts fixture lead times with FDM"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/dlas-columbus-test-center-cuts-fixture-lead-times-with-fdm/
date: 2026-06-25
modified: 2026-06-25
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Weapons Support Product Test Center (PTC) in Columbus, Ohio, has reduced testing fixture production times from several weeks or months to as little as six..."
categories:
  - "3D Printer Hardware"
  - "Additive Manufacturing"
  - "Defense"
tags:
  - "insights"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DLA-Product-Test-Center-01-640x400.jpg
word_count: 481
---

# DLA’s Columbus test center cuts fixture lead times with FDM

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Weapons Support Product Test Center (PTC) in Columbus, Ohio, has reduced testing fixture production times from several weeks or months to as little as six hours after adopting fused deposition modeling.

The change came through DLA Research and Development's Tools for Testing initiative, which provided equipment and technical assistance to get the PTC's 3D printing and laser scanning operations running. The Columbus PTC, which processes quality assurance on approximately 3,000 items per year for military weapon systems, operates within a strict 30-day cycle time for each part.

![DLA](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DLA-Product-Test-Center-02-340x153.jpg)

“Having such a short window to perform full evaluations is an ongoing challenge for us,” said Jeremiah Jones, Supervisory Electronics Engineer at DLA Weapons Support (Columbus). “We never really know what's going to come through the door on any given day. But when it arrives, we need something custom-made to be able to test it properly.”

Previously, staff relied on CNC machining to prepare for conformance testing, product lot testing, and government first article testing. Electronics engineer Kendall Callahan reported that a single staff-designed fixture could take weeks to months to produce under that method.

“Before the introduction of additive manufacturing, the process of creating one staff-designed fixture could take from several weeks to months,” Callahan said.

The shift to additive manufacturing came with the [installation of a Stratasys Fortus 450mc FDM printer in September 2024](https://www.voxelmatters.com/airframe-designs-invests-in-second-fortus-450mc-from-stratasys/), and this has also expanded the range of materials available to engineers. Where CNC work was largely confined to aluminum and acrylic, staff now work with thermoplastics, including ASA, ABS, PEI, and ABS-ESD7 — a carbon-infused variant engineered to dissipate static electrical charges in under two seconds, protecting sensitive electronic components during testing.

![DLA](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DLA-Product-Test-Center-03-340x168.jpg)

“In the past, we were mostly working in aluminum and acrylic, but now we are creating fixtures in heavy-duty thermoplastics with properties that can withstand the rigors of the types of testing we do here,” Callahan remarked.

“With this technology, we can create complex geometries within a day or two that would have been difficult to make with traditional manufacturing methods.”

DLA holds a formal institutional role in growing additive manufacturing across the Department of Defense, codified in DOD Instruction 5000.93, which established DLA's management of the Joint Additive Manufacturing Model Exchange — a shared repository for additive manufacturing across the military services.

Phase two of the Tools for Testing initiative, set for completion in March 2027, will add a [metal 3D printer using powder bed fusion to both PTC labs](https://www.voxelmatters.com/unf-secures-nsf-grant-to-tackle-defects-in-laser-powder-bed-fusion/), along with CT scanning capability, smaller prototype printers, and automated benchtop 3D scanners.

“The metal printer's powder bed fusion process will help us print fixtures for testing that we can't currently do,” said Kedric Jones, Electronics Engineer at DLA Weapons Support (Columbus). “For example, with a metal printer, we will be able to print fixtures for higher pressure testing and tensile loads. And it will allow for simultaneous printing.”